Environmental Values and Sustainable Development Awareness Among Prospective Teachers

Abstract

The present study investigated the relationship between Environmental Values and Sustainable Development Awareness among Prospective Teachers. Environmental values play a vital role in shaping environmentally responsible attitudes and behaviours, while sustainable development awareness enables individuals to understand and address environmental, social, and economic challenges for present and future generations. The study adopted the Normative Survey Method. A sample of 400 Prospective Teachers was selected from Colleges of Education using a Simple Random Sampling Technique. Data were collected using the Environmental Values Scale developed by Haseen Taj (2001) and the Sustainable Development Awareness Scale developed by S. K. Sahoo and E. S. Sahoo (2015). The collected data were analysed using percentage analysis, mean, standard deviation, independent samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient. The findings revealed that the majority of the Prospective Teachers possessed a moderate level of Environmental Values (71.0%) and Sustainable Development Awareness (71.5%). No significant differences were found in Environmental Values and Sustainable Development Awareness with respect to gender, locality, type of management, and stream of study. Further, a strong positive and significant relationship was observed between Environmental Values and Sustainable Development Awareness among Prospective Teachers (r = .72, p < .01). The study concludes that strengthening Environmental Values among Prospective Teachers can significantly enhance their Sustainable Development Awareness. Therefore, teacher education institutions should integrate Environmental Education and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into their curricula and co-curricular activities to prepare environmentally responsible and sustainability-oriented future teachers.